Field of the Inventions
The present disclosure is related to endovascular apparatuses and methods, and more specifically, to apparatuses and methods for delivering a material to a target region of a body lumen and regulating blood flow therethrough.
Description of the Related Art
Blood vessels can be accessed to deploy embolic agents, contrast agents, and medications to target regions of the body. Some target regions include the blood vessels themselves, as well as organs or other tissue being fed by blood vessels.
For example, through embolization, blood flow can be reduced to encourage atrophy or infarction of a target region of the body. Such target regions can include tumors, fibroids, and vascular malformations, such as arteriovenous malformations (“AVM”) or arteriovenous fistulas (“AVF”). Further, embolization of blood vessels can also be achieved to slow or stop bleeding in emergency situations.
Embolic agents can be used to treat cancer. For example, embolics can be used to occlude the vasculature feeding a tumor. Drug-loaded embolics, such as drug-loaded microspheres, can be used to deliver chemotherapeutic agents and/or therapeutic agents designed to treat inflamed or diseased tissue. In addition, clinicians have administered chemotherapeutic agents in combination with embolic polyvinyl alcohol (“PVA”) particles. This type of targeted therapy can localize treatment at the site of the tumor and minimize the systemic dose while maximizing the therapeutic dose delivered locally to the target lesion, reducing potential side effects and damage to healthy tissue.